Packaging system

ABSTRACT

A packaging system includes a cored web product, such as a roll of sanitary tissue; and an article-containing package having an article-containing compartment in which an article, such as a give-away premium, is contained, and a peripheral rim disposed adjacent one end of the compartment. The article-containing compartment is disposed within an opening in the cored product, and the peripheral rim engages an outer surface of the cored product. A flexible overwrap material is secured tightly about the cored product and article-containing package to grip the peripheral rim of the article-containing package between the outer surface of the cored product and the overwrap material. Several cored products can be packaged within a single overwrap material, and an article-containing package can be assembled with one or more of the cored products.

United States Patent [191 [111 3,770,118 Jones 1 Nov. 6, 1973 PACKAGING SYSTEM Primary ExaminerWilliam T. Dixson, Jr. [75] Inventor: Drexel D. Jones, Thornton, Pa. Anomey-Mamn Faigus [73] Assignee: Scott Paper Company, Delaware 7 ABSTRACT County A packaging system includes a cored web product, [22] Filed: Feb. 7, 1972 such as a roll of sanitary tissue; and an articlecontaining package having an article-containing compartment in which an article, such as a give-away premium, is contained, and a peripheral rim disposed adjacent one end of the compartment. The articlecontaining compartment is disposed within an opening in the cored product, and the peripheral rim engages an outer surface of the cored product. A flexible overwrap material is secured tightly about the cored product and article-containing package to grip the peripheral rim of the article-containing package between the outer surface of the cored product and the overwrap material. Several cored products can be packaged within a single overwrap material, and an article-containing package can be assembled with one or more of the cored prodnets.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures I52] US. Cl. 206/47 R, 206/65 R [51] Int. Cl... 865d 71/00, 865d 79/00, 865d 85/62 [58] Field of Search 206/47 R, 59 G, 65 R,

[5 6] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,678,129 5/1954 Spector 206/47 R 1,365,403 1/1921 Holway 206/59 G 3,202,276 8/1965 Burt et al. 206/65 R IIIIIIIIIIIII'I'I I'IIlAI/JIIII k-k/a 1 1% +H j PACKAGING SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention a This invention relates to a packaging system for retaining an article with a cored product. More specifically, this invention relates to a packaging system in which an article, such as a give-away premium, is packaged with a cored, rolled, web product, such as towels, napkins, facial tissue, toilet tissue, plastic wrap, waxed paper, aluminum foil and the like.

The term cored, as used throughout the specification and claims to describe products of this invention refers to products having an opening extending inwardly from at least one exposed surface thereof, and in which the opening is defined by a separate core member, or by the products themselves.

2. Description of the Prior Art It is often desirable to package an article, such as a rial. If the premium is packaged loosely within the opening of the cored product, it can constantly shift position during handling. This shifting of position can cause damage to the premium. Additionally, when an overwrap material is employed, the shifting of the premium can cause damage to the overwrap material. If the premium is packaged in tight frictional engagement with the walls defining the opening of the cored product to prevent shifting of said premium, said premium is difficult to remove by a purchaser.

When a substantially flat premium, such as a wash cloth or handkerchief, is packaged with a cored product, it has been suggested to hold the premium to a size commensurate with that of the cored product, and to position the premium adjacent the front or rear surface of said product. Several problems exist with this type of packaging system. First, this arrangement of packaging premiums increases the overall size of the packaging system and is somewhat unattractive. When the size of the packaging system is increased less packages can be placed on a given shelf space and in shipping cartons. This is a significant merchandising problem. Second, it is difficult to handle substantially flat premiums in a reliable manner to insure that they are maintained flat against the cored product as an overwrap material is secured about the product. Third, the premium can be pilfered easily by merely providing a slit in the overwrap material and pulling the premium through the slit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The packaging system of this invention includes a cored product and an article-containing package. The article-containing package includes an articlecontaining compartment disposed within the opening of the cored product, and a peripheral rim providing a supporting surface in overlying relationship, and in contact with the outer surface of the cored product through which the opening extends. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, a flexible overwrap material is tightly secured about one or more cored products with the article-containing package assembled with at least one of the cored products. This overwrap material firmly retains the peripheral rim of the articlecontaining package between itself and the outer surface of the cored product. In this manner the articlecontaining package is maintained in its proper assembled position, i.e., it will not slip completely within the interior of the core or otherwise shift relative to the cored product during handling.

The packaging system of this invention is more pilfer proof than packaging systems in which the premium is packaged adjacent the front or rear surface of the cored product. In order to pilfer the premium in the packaging system of this invention, a substantially large area of the overwrap material must be torn in order to permit the peripheral rim of the article-containing package to clear the overwrap material.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the peripheral rim extends entirely about the outer periphery of the article-containing package to substantially uniformly distribute the weight of the package, with the article contained therein, over the outer surface of the cored product to further prevent the package from sliding completely within the interior of the core. Therefore, a purchaser of the packaging system can easily remove the article-containing package from the cored product by engaging the peripheral rim which is disposed against the outer surface of said cored product.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the

maximum transverse dimension of the article-receiving compartment is less than the minimum transverse dimension of the opening of the cored product to permit easy insertion of the compartment within said opening. The article-containing packages of this invention are of a fixed dimension. Therefore, mass production equipment can be utilized in an effective manner for reliably assembling the article-containing package with the cored product.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention both the article-containing package and the flexible overwrap material are formed of a transparent plastic material. In this manner a prospective purchaser can view the premium without opening the package system.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensive packaging system in which an article, such as a give-away premium, is included with a cored product.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a packaging system in which an article is included with a cored product, and can be easily removed from the cored product.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a packaging system in which an article is included with a cored product without substantially increasing the overall dimension of the packaging system.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a packaging system in which an article is included with a cored product, and in which the article can be viewed through the packaging system without opening the packaging system.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent in view of the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of the packaging system of this invention including an article-containing package and a cored product;

FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view of the articlecontaining package by itself;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a packaging system according to this invention which includes a flexible overwrap material; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of FIG. 3, and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Referring to FIG. 1, a packaging system according to this invention includes an article-containing package and a cored product 12. The cored product 12 has a central opening 14 extending through outer surfaces 16 thereof. The opening 14 can be defined by inner walls of a core member 18 or by the product alone. In the preferred embodiment of this invention, the cored product 12 is a web material disposed in roll form.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the article-containing package 10 is in the form ofa blister pack, and includes a closed, article-containing chamber 20 terminating at a distal end 22 disposed out of the general plane of a peripheral rim 24. The article-containing chamber need not be closed, but could be in the form of a sling comprising separate spaced wall members secured together at their distal ends. This sling arrangement is well suited for packaging elongate articles, such as candles and the like, within an opening of a cored product. The peripheral rim 24 has an inner exposed surface 26 which engages one of the outer surfaces 16 of the cored product 12 when the article-containing package 10 is assembled with the cored product. In the preferred embodiment of this invention the article-containing chamber 20 has a maximum transverse dimension which is slightly less than the transverse dimension of the opening 14 within the core member 18 to permit easy insertion of the article-containing chamber 20 within the opening 14 (FIG. 4).

Referring to FIG. 3, it is conventional to package together more than one core product with a flexible overwrap material 28. FIG. 3 shows two cored products 12 wrapped tightly by a flexible overwrap material 28 which can be paper, plastic, or the like. It is within the scope of this invention to utilize an overwrap material to package one or more cored products as a unit, and the two-roll.arrangement shown in FIG. 3 is intended as exemplary only. An article-containing package 10 can be included with one or more of the cored products 12, and in FIG. 3 the article-containing package 10 is shown as being included with only one of the cored products.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the flexible overwrap material 28 is wrapped tightly about the cored products 12 to firmly retain the peripheral rim 24 of the articlecontaining package 10 between the overwrap material and the outer exposed surface 16 of the cored product. In this manner, the article-containing package 10 is prevented from shifting out of its proper assembled position with the cored product 14 during handling and storage.

Referring to FIG. 2, the article-containing package 10 is formed of an article-receiving section 30 and a closure section 32. This article-receiving section 30 has an article-receiving cavity 34 therein formed by any conventional method, such as thermoforming. The peripheral rim 24 extends about the periphery of the cavity 34, and defines an opening into said cavity 34 through which an article 36, such as a give-away premium, can be inserted. The article 36 can be any desired item which fits within the confines of the cavity 34. The closure section 32 is disposed over the opening into the cavity 34 after the article 36 has been inserted therein, and the closure section is secured to the article-receiving section by any suitable means.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention both the article-containing package 10 and the flexible overwrap material 28 are formed of a transparent material to permit a prospective purchaser to view the article 36 without opening the packaging system. The preferred materials for the article-containing package 10 are transparent thermoplastics, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, vinyl and polyvinyl chloride. The preferred materials for the overwrap material 28 are transparent, flexible thermoplastics, such as polyethylene and polypropylene. When the article-containing package 10 is formed of a thermoplastic material, the articlereceiving section:30 is adhered to the cover section 32 by spaced heat seals 38, although other sealing means such as glue, adhesive and the like can be utilized.

What is claimed is:

1. A packaging system comprising:

A. a cored product having an outer surface and wall means defining an opening extending inwardly from said outer surface;

B. an article-containing package comprising,

1. a peripheral rim providing a supporting surface in overlying, contacting relationship with the outer surface of said cored product, and

2. an article-containing compartment including side wall means terminating at a distal end disposed outwardly from said peripheral rim, said side wall means disposed within the opening of said cored product; and

C. a unitary, flexible overwrap material completely enclosing said cored product and being unattached to said article-containing package, the peripheral rim of said article-containing package being tightly confined between the outer surface of said cored product and said flexible overwrap material, whereby said article-containing package is maintained in proper assembled condition with said cored product and can be easily removed from said cored product upon removal of the flexible overwrap material.

2. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein said article-containing compartment has a maximum transverse dimension which is less than the minimum transverse dimension of the opening of the cored product.

3. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral rim is substantially flat, and extends about the entire periphery of said articlecontaining package.

side wall means defining an article-receiving cavity having an opening defined by said peripheral rim and through which an article can be inserted; a second member disposed over the open end of said cavity and adhered to said peripheral rim for defining a closed, article-containing chamber.

5. The packaging system according to claim 4, wherein said first and second members are thermoplastic, and are adhered together by heat seals.

6. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein said cored product is a web material disposed in roll form, said roll having a continuous opening extending through opposed outer surfaces thereof.

7. The packaging system according to claim 1, in-

ing extending through opposed outer surfaces. 

1. A packaging system comprising: A. a cored product having an outer surface and wall means defining an opening extending inwardly from said outer surface; B. an article-containing package comprising,
 1. a peripheral rim providing a supporting surface in overlying, contacting relationship with the outer surface of said cored product, and
 2. an article-containing compartment including side wall means terminating at a distal end disposed outwardly from said peripheral rim, said side wall means disposed within the opening of said cored product; and C. a unitary, flexible overwrap material completely enclosing said cored product and being unattached to said articlecontaining package, the peripheral rim of said articlecontaining package being tightly confined between the outer surface of said cored product and said flexible overwrap material, whereby said article-containing package is maintained in proper assembled condition with said cored product and can be easily removed from said cored product upon removal of the flexible overwrap material.
 2. an article-containing compartment including side wall means terminating at a distal end disposed outwardly from said peripheral rim, said side wall means disposed within the opening of said cored product; and C. a unitary, flexible overwrap material completely enclosing said cored product and being unattached to said article-containing package, the peripheral rim of said article-containing package being tightly confined between the outer surface of said cored product and said flexible overwrap material, whereby said article-containing package is maintained in proper assembled condition with said cored product and can be easily removed from said cored product upon removal of the flexible overwrap material.
 2. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein said article-containing compartment has a maximum transverse dimension which is less than the minimum transverse dimension of the opening of the cored product.
 3. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein said peripheral rim is substantially flat, and extends about the entire periphery of said article-containing package.
 4. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein said article-containing package includes a first member including said peripheral rim which defines said supporting surface, said supporting surface extending inwardly from outer marginal edges of said first member and terminating in said side wall means, said side wall means defining an article-receiving cavity having an opening defined by said peripheral rim and through which an article can be inserted; a second member disposed over the open end of said cavity and adhered to said peripheral rim for defining a closed, article-containing chamber.
 5. The packaging system according to claim 4, wherein said first and second members are thermoplastic, and are adhered together by heat seals.
 6. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein said cored product is a web material disposed in roll form, said roll having a continuous opening extending through opposed outer surfaces thereof.
 7. The packaging system according to claim 1, including at least two cored products, an article-containing package assembled with at least one of said cored products, said overwrap material being secured about all of said cored products to form a single package.
 8. The packaging system according to claim 6, wherein said web material is creped, cellulosic wadding.
 9. The packaging system according to claim 7, wherein said cored products are webs of material disposed in roll form, said rolls having a continuous opening extending through opposed outer surfaces. 